Red Sox Foundation, Foundation To Be Named Later Team Up
to Support Chicago and Boston Youth for a Weekend Celebrating music,
baseball and giving back Presented By Think Energy!

Boston, MA – Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder has been added to the line-up of Boston and Chicago musicians who will take the stage at a special edition of the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit concert at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on Saturday, April 29th. Vedder will join Baseball Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and current Red Sox and Cubs players in a special musical performance at the Boston version of the annual fundraising series, which benefits Boston and Chicago youth and families.

The Hot Stove, Cool Music – Red Sox/Cubs Edition concert will feature musical performances by three ensemble bands – the Boston Hot Stove All Stars, Band of Their Own, and the Chicago Hot Stove All Stars. A full list of participating musicians can be found at ftbnl.org. Award-winning actor, writer, and comedian Mike O’Malley will serve as emcee and lead a special game show showdown between Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs players.

A limited amount of VIP ticket packages are on sale now at www.redsox.com/champions or www.ftbnl.org. VIP ticket packages ($1,200 each) include: Two (2) VIP tickets for the Hot Stove, Cool Music Red Sox / Cubs Edition VIP party & concert; which features complimentary beer and wine, delicious gourmet food prepared by some of Boston’s most accomplished chefs and special appearances by the musical line-up and current and former Red Sox & Cubs players; and the concert starring Eddie Vedder and Red Sox & Cubs players. VIP Ticket buyers will have the rare opportunity to have a photo taken with both the Red Sox and Cubs’ “curse-breaking” 2004 and 2016 World Series trophies together. There are also a limited number of General Admission tickets available for ($65. each) on www.ftbnl.org.

Hot Stove Cool Music, Red Sox-Cubs Edition is part of “Baseball Champions for Charity Weekend presented by Think Energy,” a special partnership between the Red Sox Foundation, the Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL), and Cubs Charities, which includes a series of charitable fundraising events that will take place on April 28 and 29 during the Red Sox-Cubs series at Fenway Park to raise funds for the three non-profits. Red Sox vs. Cubs are rivals on the field and for the first time, come together in the community to make a difference.

In addition to the concert, the weekend’s activities will include a VIP reception and luncheon on Friday, April 28, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel featuring a panel of baseball luminaries Including Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, Red Sox/Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster and New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams discussing what it takes to build a championship team. MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons with NESN, Tom Caron will moderate the panel. Tickets ($325 each includes the reception, panel and lunch) and sponsorships are available at www.redsox.com/champions or www.ftbnl.org.

This marks the third consecutive Hot Stove, Cool Music performance by Vedder, a Chicago-Area Native, and die-hard Cubs fan. The iconic singer-songwriter joined the Hot Stove roster at the 2015 and 2016 Hot Stove, Cool Music – Chicago concerts at Club Metro in Wriglyville, electrifying the capacity crowds while helping to raise more than $750,000 to support longtime friend Theo Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later.

All proceeds from the “Baseball Champions for Charity” weekend will benefit the Red Sox Foundation, the Foundation To Be Named Later and Cubs Charities. VIP tickets to the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit concert and Baseball Champions for Charity Lunch are available on-line now at www.redsox.com/champions and www.ftbnl.org. Those interested sponsorship opportunities may call 617-226-6334 or visit www.redsoxfoundation.org or www.ftbnl.org .

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About ENGIE Resources and Think Energy
ENGIE Resources, which rebranded in 2016, is the third-largest non-residential retail electricity supplier in the United States and currently serves commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in 14 markets: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington, D.C. The company serves nearly 90,000 accounts for customers having a peak demand ranging from 50 KW to more than 200 MW, with an estimated peak load totaling nearly 13,000 MW. For more about ENGIE Resources, visit www.engieresources.com or call 1-866-999-8374. Follow ENGIE Resources on Twitter and Facebook.

About Hot Stove Cool Music
Hot Stove Cool Music is a biannual charity concert and musical variety show held in Boston in the winter and in Chicago in the summer months, making its debut in Chicago in summer 2012. The event was created in December of 2000 by Hall of Fame baseball journalist Peter Gammons and former Boston Herald sports writer Jeff Horrigan. Over the past 15 years, Hot Stove Cool Music has become a staple on Boston’s entertainment calendar and has raised more than $8 million for Theo and Paul Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later, the Jimmy Fund and other beneficiaries.

About the Red Sox Foundation
The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has distributed over $93 million to support programs serving children and families across New England. The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on five cornerstone programs: the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring, enrichment programs and a college scholarship to academically talented but economically disadvantaged Boston public school students; the Red Sox Foundation’s RBI and Rookie League youth baseball and softball programs serving more than 2,000 inner city teens each summer; the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress and traumatic brain injury; The Dimock Center in Roxbury, serving more than 80,000 low-income families in Boston’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods; and The Jimmy Fund, supporting breakthrough cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information about the foundation, visit redsoxfoundation.org.

About The Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL)
Paul Epstein, a social worker in Boston, MA area and his twin brother, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein launched Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL) in 2005. Named after the MLB trade term, player to be named later, the foundation’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for nonprofit agencies, working on the front lines serving youth and families from disadvantaged neighborhoods in Boston & Chicago. FTBNL has given $8 million in grants and in-kind donations to more than 220 nonprofit organizations in Chicago and Boston and has sent approximately 6,000 children to Cubs or Red Sox home games. The Peter Gammons/FTBNL College Scholarship (named in honor of Hall of Famer and FTBNL champion, Peter Gammons) is the signature program of FTBNL and has sent more than 70 young people with high financial needs and high potential to the college of their choice. Each Gammons Scholar is provided with an adult mentor and a laptop computer to ensure college success. For more information on FTBNL programs and events, or to make a donation, please visit www.foundationtobenamedlater.org.

About Cubs Charities
Cubs Charities harnesses the passion of Cubs fans to improve the lives of children and families across Chicago and beyond. Our goal is to provide increased access to sports opportunities and target improvements in health, fitness and education for those at risk. We partner with the most effective programs and organizations to achieve positive impact and demonstrated results. Through the generosity of Cubs fans, corporate partners and our Cubs Care partner, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Cubs Charities is proud to help support the people and organizations that make our city a great place to live, work and play. For more information on Chicago Cubs Charities programs and events or to make a donation, please visit www.cubs.com/community.

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